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Pikachu
Pikachu (Japanese: ピカチュウ Pikachu) is an Electric-type Pokémon introduced during generation I, in the titles ''Pokémon Red'' and ''Blue''. Pikachu is notably the mascot of the ''Pokémon'' franchise and the The Pokémon Company, and one of the mascots of Nintendo, and is additionally one of the most well-known characters worldwide. Pikachu has appeared in several Pokémon-related spin-offs and merchandise, and is also a playable character in the ''Super Smash Bros.'' series. Pikachu is also a central character in the ''Pokémon'' anime series, which has aired from April 1, 1997, to . Character history Creation Pikachu's initial design was created by Atsuko Nishida, and finalized by Ken Sugimori, under direction of Game Freak and Nintendo.Despite being identified as a mouse in the franchise, its design was based upon that of a squirrel. Its name is derived from the Japanese onomatopoeia ピカピカ pikapika (sparkle) and チューチュー chūchū (a mouse squeaking). 1990s 1996 Pikachu first appeared in Pokémon Red and ''Green'', released in Japan on February 27, 1996. Pikachu made its third appearance in ''Pokémon Blue'', released on October 15, 1996 exclusively to CoroCoro Comic subscribers, before it made its final appearance of 1996 in the newly released Pokémon Trading Card Game on October 20, 1996, a trading and playing card expansion that is still produced to this day. 1997 Following the games' Japan release, the Pokémon franchise was expanded further through the Pokémon anime series, which first aired in Japan on April 1, 1997, and continues airing to this day. Pikachu was one of the Pokémon featured in this anime, which became an important factor in the character's rise to popularity. 1998 Pikachu's first appearance in a Pokémon spin-off was in ''Pokémon Stadium'', released on August 1, 1998 exclusively in Japan. Pikachu was present in this title as a Pokémon available for in-game battles. On September 12, 1998, the fourth main-series Pokémon title, ''Pokémon Yellow'', was released in Japan. This title expanded on the popularity of the anime, borrowing plot threads from the show, as well as making Pikachu both its starter Pokémon and its mascot. Following Yellow s Japan release, Pokémon Red and Blue released on September 28, 1998, in North America. Not to be confused with the Japanese release of Pokémon Blue, the American release of Blue had content based on that of the Japan-exclusive Pokémon Green, though both the American games' code and graphics were still based on that of the Japanese Pokémon Blue. Pikachu was once again present in these titles as an obtainable Pokémon, though it had, however, appeared 20 days earlier in North American media via the English dub of the Pokémon anime. Its final major appearance in 1998 was in Hey You, Pikachu!, where it was the central character and mascot of the game. Hey You, Pikachu! was released on December 12, 1998 in Japan. Pikachu appeared in another Pokémon spin-off in a smaller title, Pokémon Trading Card Game, which released in Japan on December 18, 1998. 1999 1999 was the first year that Pikachu appeared in an official video game medium other than the Pokémon franchise, with the Japan release of [[Super Smash Bros. (video game)|''Super Smash Bros.]] on January 21, 1999 (and again in North America on April 26, 1999). In this title, Pikachu was present as a playable character, alongside fellow Pokémon Jigglypuff. Pikachu was once again present in the North American release of ''Pokémon Yellow, where it was once again the starter and mascot. Pikachu also appeared in Pokémon Snap, which saw a Japanese release on March 21, 1999, as well as a North American release of June 30, 1999. It made another minor appearance in Picross NP Vol. 1, a Japan-exclusive title released on April 1, 1999. Its further appearances in April consisted of Pokémon Pinball – on April 14, 1999 in Japan and June 28, 1999 in North America - as well as ''Pokémon Stadium'' (known as Pokémon Stadium 2 in Japan), which was released on April 30, 1999 in Japan. Pokémon Blue, specifically the Japanese version of the game, also saw a full retail release in Japan on October 10, 1999. Pikachu saw another major appearance in the next main-series titles of the Pokémon franchise on November 21, 1999 in Japan – ''Pokémon Gold'' and ''Silver''. This title marked the introduction of the franchise's second region, Johto, though Pikachu was only available wild in the Kanto region (the region introduced with Red and Blue), which was accessible during Gold and Silver s post-game content. However, Gold and Silver introduced a new pre-evolution for Pikachu, known as Pichu, and as a result, Pikachu was also available through catching and evolving Pichu. 2000s 2000 On February 29, 2000, the English version of Pokémon Stadium was released in North America, a title which still featured Pikachu. Following this release on April 10 was Pokémon Trading Card Game in North America, which still had in-game cards featuring Pikachu. Furthermore, Pokémon Puzzle League was released on September 25, 2000. Pikachu is present in a plot-line based loosely on the Pokémon anime, though game-play is largely duplicated from that of Tetris Attack. On October 15, 2000, Pokémon Gold and Silver saw North American release; Pikachu, as well as its baby form Pichu and its evolved form Raichu were all present in the title. Hey You, Pikachu! also saw North American release on November 6, 2000. Pikachu reappeared oncemore in Pokémon Puzzle Challenge, the Game Boy counterpart to Pokémon Puzzle League. 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